An electronic digital slide rule in the form of a small hand-carried, battery powered digital electronic calculator capable of performing substantially all of the mathematical operations performed by the conventional mechanical slide rule. The electronic digital slide rule utilizes a computing technique based on integrating for a period of time proportional to one input variable x, a fixed or variable pulse rate signal, the magnitude of which may be proportional to another input variable y, to a constant, or to some other known function. The computing technique is implemented by a pulse rate generator producing a pulsetrain representative of one factor of a function whose solution is desired. First factor input means are provided for supplying the one factor to the input of the pulse rate generation means whose output is supplied to an output integrator and timing circuit. A second factor input means is coupled to and controls at least in part operation of the output integrator and timing circuit means. The electronic digital slide rule is completed by a function selector switching means that interconnects the pulse rate generation means to the second factor input means and to the output integrator and timing circuit means in a manner to perform a selected one of a plurality of different logical operations on the first and second input factors to thereby derive a desired output solution. In preferred embodiments of the slide rule, an output indicating means is coupled to the output from the output integrator and timing circuit means for displaying the solution in legible form. The plurality of different logical operations capable of being performed by the electronic digital slide rule include the arithmetic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, squaring and square rooting, and exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric operations. In constructing the electronic digital slide rule, the first and second factor input means may comprise mechanical switches having a plurality of discrete contact positions which also serve as in input memory for retaining the value of the input first and/or second factors. It is also preferred that the electronic digital slide rule operate from a battery operated power supply means for supplying energizing power to the slide rule through a start-stop switch which energizes the slide rule only during periods of use and conserves the battery power supply during periods of non-use. It is also anticipated that the electronic digital slide rule would be fabricated from micro-miniaturized integrated circuit structures mounted on a single supporting circuit board and housed in the form of a pocket size container for easy transport and use. A preferred embodiment of the electronic digital slide rule also includes a decimal point placement indicating means for visibly indicating to the user of the device the position of the decimal point in an output solution displayed by the output indicating means.
A display circuit for use in an electronic calculator which includes a computing circuit for receiving and manipulating digital datum, the computing circuit including first means for repetitively generating a plurality of input signals individually in sequence and second means for repetitively generating a plurality of sequentially occurring groups of output signals with individual ones of the input and output signals occurring simultaneously, a plurality of input terminals, keyboard means for coupling the input terminals to receive selected ones of the input signals, means for generating a repeating clock pulse signal, and a power supply. The display circuit comprises a plurality of luminescing display devices each of which includes a common element and a plurality of segment elements individually coupled to the common element and disposed in a geometric array corresponding to selected alpha-numeric characters. A plurality of digit driver amplifiers are coupled to the computing circuit to receive predetermined ones of the input signals and electrically in series with the predetermined ones of the common elements, and a plurality of segment driver amplifiers are coupled to the computing circuit to receive predetermined ones of the signals of said groups of output signals and connected electrically in series with all of the paralleled similar segment elements of all of said display devices. The digit driver amplifiers and segment driver amplifiers are rendered simultaneously and momentarily operative in response to the simultaneous reception of the input signals and groups of output signals with essentially all of the electrical energy passing through the segment and digit driver amplifiers, respectively, also passing through the display devices. The display devices are rendered individually, momentarily, and sequentially luminescent thereby.
An electronic calculator disclosed herein is comprised mainly of a multi-digit liquid crystal display unit, a mechanical contact type keyboard unit and a semiconductor circuit unit including a computation circuit, logical control circuit, storage circuit, program memory circuit, etc., these units being all incorporated on a single plate of electrically insulating material. One of a pair of spaced apart electrically insulating plates forming a capacity for the liquid crystal composition is of a length sufficient to support all the constitutional units, which has two major surfaces one for supporting the keyboard unit and the other for supporting the semiconductor circuit unit. Connection between oppositely disposed keyboard unit and semiconductor circuit unit is accomplished by any conventional method, for example, multi-terminal connector, conductive material printing, through holes, wire bonding and so on.
A system for computing multiple integrals employs an algorithm which selects a plurality of predetermined parameters, corresponding to selectable levels of accuracy of an approximation at the solution. The parameter values are selected and stored, along with a smoothing index, which may be zero. An arithmetic logic unit, which can perform a variety of functions under control of an instruction decoder, forms a plurality of functions in the form of unique polynomials, under predetermined conditions, such that a value (SI) can be determined for the multiple integral. The parameters are selected in response to a judgment on the part of the user of a required minimum level of accuracy in the context of the increases in computing time which would be required to achieve higher levels of accuracy.
A sampling head having an input to which a sampling signal is applied, a diode bridge to which the sampling signal is applied, and a strobe pulse generator for controlling the gage time of the diode bridge; wherein the strobe pulse generator comprises a resonance tunnel barrier diode, whereby high speed measurement and miniaturization are attained.
An electronic apparatus principally comprising a display unit, a mechanical contact type keyboard unit and several LSI (large-scale integrated circuit) elements including a computation circuit, a logical control circuit, a storage circuit, a program memory circuit, etc., these units and elements all being incorporated on a single flexible plate of electrical insulating material, such as a film of polyethylene-terephthalate or a polyamide. The metal depositing technology or the etching technology is applied to form a wiring pattern on the flexible plate. The LSI elements are directly mounted on the single flexible plate by utilizing the wireless bonding method, such as for example, a flip chip bond or a beam lead bond, before these elements are packed and sealed. The substratum may be secured in the inside of the apparatus in a serpentine fashion in order to make the best use of the inside space of the apparatus. It is easy to adjust the angle or the position of the display units with respect to the keyboard unit, since the display units are mounted on the flexible plate.
